There’s No Turning Back Now! 7/23 - Link to my new PTR!

[disneychard]

That is great that you made the Mickey's ears, this way the kids can see how much they are earning for their vacation. I need to come up with something for my son, this way to it will bring more excitement for our up coming trip.

Great Job!!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

OMG, those look FANTASTIC! Way better than my drawn ones! I think I may have to steal them and photoshop out your kids names and replace them with my own!

Yes, driving with that many people might be problematic! I would fly if we could afford it, I think it saves SO much time, and once you add up all the gas and extra meals (b/c you are on the road longer than when you fly) sometimes it's around the same price!

Thank you, Karen! Of course I had to design them on the computer because I can’t draw a stick figure You’re right that flying can be about even with the cost of driving and the amount of time saved makes it so worth it anyway! I’m so glad that they want to fly!

Those Mickey graphs look great!! I love charts and graphs so I just get all excited when I see them. I know, I'm a big ol' nerd.

We did a road trip with 7 to Dauphin Island, Alambama a few years ago. It really wasn't too bad but if I could have convinced everyone else to fly I would have done it in a heartbeat! It's always good when someone else makes those executive decisions and then it's just out of your hands, lol!

Thank you, Hope! Charts, graphs, lists – these are a few of my favorite things! Clearly, I’m a big ol’ nerd too! Yeah, I was glad they made the decision for me because truthfully, I was asking them about driving so that I could gauge how to approach the flying option since that was my preference too! I was going to spin my PowerPoint presentation to make flying look like the most attractive option, but now I don’t have to! I can be such a Disney manipulator

That is great that you made the Mickey's ears, this way the kids can see how much they are earning for their vacation. I need to come up with something for my son, this way to it will bring more excitement for our up coming trip.

Great Job!!

Thank you, disneychard! I can’t wait for the kids to see them tonight. I think it will really keep them motivated to earn money for the trip

 

[Lovemy3babes]

I LOVE the Mickey heads Erin!! I may have to borrow them in the future! Seriously, great job! I am so not tech savvy so know how hard it is to try to create something. It's tough! Coy sounds like a great help to you.

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

I LOVE the Mickey heads Erin!! I may have to borrow them in the future! Seriously, great job! I am so not tech savvy so know how hard it is to try to create something. It's tough! Coy sounds like a great help to you.

Thank you, Kelli! Coy really is a big help, especially with these graphics programs! I am clueless!

OK, guys, so I know Coy's birthday was like a YEAR AGO and I still haven't posted. I'm sorry. It's still super crazy at work, but I really need to get his birthday posted before it really is his birthday again! Maybe I should start bringing my laptop to work on a regular basis because I seriously don't even want to turn that thing on when I get home! I've been lurking on people's PTRs on my phone at work and I'm posting on my phone right now too! I've never tried posting pictures from Flickr from my phone though, so I hope this works because I want to show you what I got from CVS today. So here goes nothing:











Woo hoo! I just previewed my post and it worked! That was way too tedious to do on my phone though, so I think I'll stick to posting pictures from my computer from now on I just couldn't wait to show you guys what I got from CVS when I went there on my lunch break to get Easter candy. So I was walking down an aisle when I saw those on an end cap (along with some Dora the Explorer stuff) Everything was $1!!! So I got True a necklace, the hairclips, a set of headbands and a bracelet. I love finding stuff to put in her goody bag for our trip! : The only thing is, I couldn't find any Disney merch for Coy. It's so hard to shop for him (which you would already know if I had posted about his birthday ) I mean, he's a pre-teen boy, there really isn't a lot of Disney stuff marketed to him. Maybe Tron stuff, but I haven't seen anything like that anywhere. So this is why I'm posting these pictures now. I'm hoping that my trusty DIS friends can help me figure out what kind of Disney merch to put in Coy's goody bag for the plane! I'm also hoping you can tell me where to get stuff because I've tried CVS, WalMart and Target. The only thing I can think of is a Hidden Mickey book because he told me a few weeks ago that he wanted to search for Hidden Mickeys next time we're in WDW. It was funny because he saw something about Hidden Mickeys on the Disney Channel some time after midnight one night and he woke me up out of a deep sleep to tell me he wanted to find Hidden Mickeys! Am I doing a good job at raising a Disney fanatic, or what??? Actually, now that I think about it, I might want to get him that book soon so he can study it in advance But can you guys think of anything else Disney related for a 12 year old boy?

 

[-Hope-]

Those are cute! She's gonna love it.

I know what you mean about the pre-teen boy stuff. My ds12 does love Phineas and Ferb but I don't see a lot of merchandise for it. I can throw Star Wars in there and call it Disney since they have all the stuff at DHS.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

CUTE!!! Yep, really hard with the older boys! Is he still into Pirates stuff or past that? It was hard with mine, I actually just got them non-Disney stuff like cards...can't remember what else?? I think I also did some Nightmare before Xmas stuff, that seemed almost cool enough.

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Thank you guys for your replies so far to my question about Goody Bag treats for Coy! Please, keep 'em coming! I promise to reply to you all tonight after I get home I just had to jump on the boards really quick to tell you about this great deal that I got for our hotel on our arrival night!

As I'm sure most of us avid Disney planners do, I read allears.net and subscribe to their newsletter. I've gotta be honest with you that I usually just skim the newsletter, but today under "Ears the Deal" they had a fantastic rate code for the Holiday Inn Lake Buena Vista. I quickly looked up reviews and pictures of the hotel online because I'm not familiar with offsite hotels. We only stayed one night at the Raddisson in Celebration (which I would recommend) and I was planning on staying there again on our arrival night. After reading the reviews and seeing that the Holiday Inn was a beautifully renovated hotel, I hopped up immediately to call to see if that room rate was available for the night I needed it. Sure enough, it was and I got a standard room for $69.99 that night!!! That's $88.27 with taxes/fees! Amazing! They also had something called a kids suite that went for $99.99 (before taxes/fees) a night under this promo. It had a king bed and a bunkbed! I thought about it for a second, but decided we didn't need all of that since we're only staying one night. Mama's on a budget!

The person taking my reservation also told me that there's an Applebees onsite and that kids eat free with the purchase of an adult entree! What?!? This keeps getting better and better! She wasn't clear if it was one free kid's entree per adult entree, but still, one free meal is better than none! But you know me. I had to get the exact details, so I called that Applebees directly. You won't believe this: one adult entree, up to FOUR kids entrees for free! So if anyone is in the area, drop 2 of your kids off at my table and dinner is on me! Seriously though, that is an awesome deal. Our flight doesn't get in until late and we'll be checking in late, but I have a feeling the kids will be hyped up from our flight. At the very least, they'll have their second wind if they nap on the plane. So I was wondering where we would eat once we arrived in Orlando - this is perfect because we can check into our hotel and won't have to leave the property to have a late dinner!

One more thing checked off of my To Do List!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

What a wonderful deal on the hotel and Applebees! Score!

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

I'm hoping that my trusty DIS friends can help me figure out what kind of Disney merch to put in Coy's goody bag for the plane! I'm also hoping you can tell me where to get stuff because I've tried CVS, WalMart and Target. The only thing I can think of is a Hidden Mickey book because he told me a few weeks ago that he wanted to search for Hidden Mickeys next time we're in WDW. It was funny because he saw something about Hidden Mickeys on the Disney Channel some time after midnight one night and he woke me up out of a deep sleep to tell me he wanted to find Hidden Mickeys! Am I doing a good job at raising a Disney fanatic, or what??? Actually, now that I think about it, I might want to get him that book soon so he can study it in advance But can you guys think of anything else Disney related for a 12 year old boy?

Hi Erin! I'm going to have to make this quick but as the mom of 2 boys I've done the scrounging for little goodies and I wanted to give you a few thoughts.

They do have hidden mickey books, maybe even pocket size? I haven't bought as of yet. I did get Robert the Imagineering Field Guides to the different parks - fairly small books, and he inhaled them. That kind of thing is right up his alley. He's also old enough for his own guidebook, maybe Birnbaum's - it's written very pro-Disney so it's pleasant to read. If he's a reader maybe one of the Kingdom Keepers series? Those are YA fiction set in the MK, I think. Other than that, gum, maybe a Disney baseball cap if he wears caps, sunglasses, snacks (he's probably a bottomless pit by now), some Disney themed music somehow? Some Disney boxers or sleep pants? T-shirts? With the latest Pirates movie coming out soon, you should be able to snag some pretty cool stuff soon.

Oh, just remembered - maybe small Lego sets, or a starter Vinylmation set? Or a Mr. Potatohead body? Disney gift cards?

Gotta go! Boss is in crisis! Love everything you've done so far, especially the Mickey head thingies. I asked Robert if he would like to do chores to earn money for WDW, and he looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears. "Work" is an abstract concept to him, and he knows his grandmother (my ex-MIL) will give him Disney spending money, especially when we are going around his birthday.

 

[-Hope-]

Awesome deals, both the hotel and Applebee's! Good job!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Those are cute! She's gonna love it.

I know what you mean about the pre-teen boy stuff. My ds12 does love Phineas and Ferb but I don't see a lot of merchandise for it. I can throw Star Wars in there and call it Disney since they have all the stuff at DHS.

Phineas and Ferb is a good idea! So is Star Wars! I wouldn’t have thought of that!

CUTE!!! Yep, really hard with the older boys! Is he still into Pirates stuff or past that? It was hard with mine, I actually just got them non-Disney stuff like cards...can't remember what else?? I think I also did some Nightmare before Xmas stuff, that seemed almost cool enough.

I think he is almost out of the pirate stage, but he might gain interest again once the new PotC movie comes out Nightmare Before Christmas IS COOL! I’ve been planning on a movie night for that so I think that might work!

What a wonderful deal on the hotel and Applebees! Score!

Thanks! It is such a sweet deal!

Hi Erin! I'm going to have to make this quick but as the mom of 2 boys I've done the scrounging for little goodies and I wanted to give you a few thoughts.

They do have hidden mickey books, maybe even pocket size? I haven't bought as of yet. I did get Robert the Imagineering Field Guides to the different parks - fairly small books, and he inhaled them. That kind of thing is right up his alley. He's also old enough for his own guidebook, maybe Birnbaum's - it's written very pro-Disney so it's pleasant to read. If he's a reader maybe one of the Kingdom Keepers series? Those are YA fiction set in the MK, I think. Other than that, gum, maybe a Disney baseball cap if he wears caps, sunglasses, snacks (he's probably a bottomless pit by now), some Disney themed music somehow? Some Disney boxers or sleep pants? T-shirts? With the latest Pirates movie coming out soon, you should be able to snag some pretty cool stuff soon.

Oh, just remembered - maybe small Lego sets, or a starter Vinylmation set? Or a Mr. Potatohead body? Disney gift cards?

Gotta go! Boss is in crisis! Love everything you've done so far, especially the Mickey head thingies. I asked Robert if he would like to do chores to earn money for WDW, and he looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears. "Work" is an abstract concept to him, and he knows his grandmother (my ex-MIL) will give him Disney spending money, especially when we are going around his birthday.

The field guides! I read about those somewhere! Good idea! Yeah, I think those and the other books would be right up his alley (mine too ) A baseball cap, clothes etc – also good ideas! It’s funny because I was thinking of getting a starter Vinylmation set for myself and I was also planning on getting both kids Potato Head bodies at home so they could stock up on parts in DTD. Great minds think alike

Awesome deals, both the hotel and Applebee's! Good job!

Thanks! I’m so happy about it!

 

[inkedupmomma]

Great deal! Especially the dining"!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Coy had a wonderful birthday! It wasn’t nearly as eventful as True’s, but that was the way he wanted it. We played hooky from school and work. True played hooky as well, which was a point of contention with Coy until I explained that it was important to me to have both of my kids together for birthdays, but it all ended up fine in the end So we had Coy’s birthday lunch at IHOP, per his request. I’ve got to admit that I thought that he was going to ask to go to a steakhouse , but IHOP was much more kind to my wallet! LOL! Quick question: Is it just me and my lush friends or did everybody used to go to IHOP after a night at the club or a night out drinking? It just didn’t seem like a birthday place to me but I’ll go anywhere my little man wants to go on his birthday. The kids both ordered off of the kids’ menu the chocolate chip pancake with a big whipped cream smiley face on it. I ordered a bacon omelet topped with tomatoes and a side of hashbrowns. Coy ordered a vanilla milkshake and True ordered some kind of berry something or other. Basically, it was OJ, strawberries and Sprite. It was yummy and the kids asked me to get all of those ingredients so that we could have them for breakfast the next day. Coy’s vanilla shake was good too. Here’s a picture of him and his shake, True and her berry drink as well as a few other silly pics:











I don’t know why True was laughing so hysterically, but it was hilarious to watch her! Coy pretended he was mad at her and it made it even more funny:







Then, Coy ordered a second breakfast! I’m making myself laugh about that because it reminds me of that scene in LOTR The Fellowship of the Ring where Pip asks Aragorn about stopping for food and sounds so dejected as he asks, “What about second breakfast?” I’m showing what a LOTR geek I am because I can quote most of the lines from that trilogy Coy and I are fans of the movies but I want all three of us to read the books…but I’m getting ahead of myself as usual LOL and I’ll post about our reading plans another time So his second breakfast was an omelet from the kids menu with a fruit cup on the side. It’s so funny because when he wants to eat, he eats like he has a tapeworm! Any other time, he eats like a bird True wanted a little bit more to eat, but not a whole second breakfast LOL so she ordered a fruit cup and helped me finish my omelet. It was a HUGE omelet! I think the menu said it was made with 4 eggs and 6 pieces of bacon! As they ate, I excused myself from the table, saying I was going to pay the bill, and I found our waitress to ask her if they did anything special for birthdays. She said they didn’t sing anymore, but she could bring him something special. A few minutes later, she showed up with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream with sprinkles for Coy. He must’ve thought I was trying to stuff him like a Thanksgiving turkey He happily ate it and was also glad that he got a special treat and his sister didn’t. Kids

After leaving IHOP with full tummies, I dropped off True with my mom at my house so that Coy and I could go to Target together. Coy is the type of kid who likes to pick out one of his gifts himself. I wonder where he gets his control issues After about 20 minutes in the video game and computer game section (where else would he be? LOL) he decided on either The Sims 3 or The Sims Medieval. He was having a tough time deciding but after about another 5 minutes, he decided on The Sims 3.





When we got home, Coy started installing the game on our laptop. Then I got a call from my ex saying that he had a backache and wouldn’t be able to pick up Coy to spend any time with him on his birthday I was angry and disappointed for Coy but I didn’t show it since the kids were in the room with me. He asked to speak with Coy and wished him a happy birthday and also said that he’d spend some time with him the next morning. Coy said he was fine with not seeing his dad and I hope he meant it Unfortunately, the kids are getting used to not seeing their dad but I personally think that their dad shouldn’t use a backache as an excuse unless he was literally in traction. I was also disappointed (but to a lesser extent) because I was planning on getting the rest of the party supplies and decorations while Coy was out of the house. Luckily, Coy was content with staying at home and playing with his new computer game. As I said, I’m trying to keep negativity out of this PTR so just to wrap up what happened with my ex-husband the next day: I made the strawberry/ orange juice/ Sprite drink for breakfast like the kids wanted and we also had cinnamon rolls. Coy’s dad picked him up a little while later and they ended up spending a few hours together. His dad got him a Kinect ( ) to go on his existing Xbox and I was glad because Coy has been asking to upgrade to a Kinect for months! He got the game that came with the system.





I’m looking forward to getting the kids some more games so that we can get up and move every night. Gotta get in shape for WDW! Also, while we’re on the subject of their father, the kids did have a good time at the laser tag party this past Saturday. I’m really glad that went well.

Anyway, back to Coy’s birthday, my ex threw a monkey wrench in my prep plans but Coy was more than willing to stay home and play The Sims, so True and I headed out. We went to BJs to get the mozzarella sticks Coy requested for his birthday dinner as well as his cake. More on the cake later We also got pizza rolls per Coy’s request. Then we went to Target because I wanted to get him The Sims Medieval since he had a really hard time choosing between that and the other game that afternoon.





I know, I’m an awesome mom LOL! I spoil the heck out of my kids on their birthdays. Then True and I headed to the party store to get the balloons. After that, we were done running around so we headed back home. I’ll tell you about his party in the next post! I promise it will be less word-y and more picture-y LOL!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Coy was waiting as True and I decorated for his party. We tied these balloons to a chair:





I loved those colors! This was his loot, wrapped in the wrapping paper he picked out and draped in the tinsel he wanted as well as the mints he wanted. He did a pretty good job picking out the décor for his own party! LOL!








Coy’s favorite cake is cheesecake and he wanted a chocolate swirl cheesecake like he had last year. The cheesecake at BJ’s was so small that I had to get two!





Ugh! Why does that picture look so pink? I should mention now that I didn’t get any pictures of Coy’s birthday with the DSLR camera I was borrowing. Thank goodness I asked my brother “Louie” to take pictures with my camera phone just in case because on the borrowed camera, I somehow managed to change a setting that caused the camera not to automatically record the pictures on the memory card!!! I was so upset because I got what would have been some really great pictures of Coy and his party! Ugh! I was mad for a few minutes after I realized what happened, but it taught me that I have to be sure that I buy a DSLR that doesn’t do that! Or at the very least, I’ll have to read the manual thoroughly to make sure I don’t make the same mistake again! Anyway, here is a better picture of Coy’s cheesecake from right before he blew out the candles:





Now remember, Coy requested mozzarella sticks and pizza rolls for his birthday dinner – so basically it was a meal made completely out of cheese! Haha! Luckily, we are good sports in our family LOL Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of everyone, but other than myself, True and Louie, his fiancée, my mom, dad and brother David were there too. My sisters couldn’t make it because they both had to work, but we’re all supposed to get together this weekend for Hershey Park! Anyway, Coy was happy to be surrounded by his family and his presents on his birthday:





So let’s get to the gifts! I got him this kite:





I also got him some Color Explosion and Color Wonder books:














I had to sneak some Disney stuff in there somewhere! LOL You can’t see this next picture too well but this is a skateboard ramp for those little finger skateboards. I think the skateboards are called Tech Decks? Anyway, here’s the blurry picture LOL:





Louie got Coy a keyboard that attached to his Xbox controller so that he could send messages to his friends when he’s on Xbox live. He’s been begging for one of these for months! Louie always comes through with a good gift:





I also got Coy a puzzle:





I also got Coy Phineas and Ferb figures that make this weird squeaking noise when they are shaken.





I was glad to find a lot of cheap little gifts for him since the video games were so expensive! Phineas and Ferb were $2 each! Coy is in that in-between age where it is difficult for me to find gifts that are not too juvenile and that he will actually use. I think the coloring books were pushing the envelope (Haha!) but he is interested in graphics and design, so I figured I could get away with those.

His last gift started out as a gag gift. He opened this big box and the first thing he saw was this plain black shirt:





I chuckled to myself as I saw him try not to look disappointed. I told him to turn the shirt around and he saw this:





You can’t tell by this terrible picture, but he was so excited to see what was printed on the back. That is a First Aid kit from one of his favorite video games – Left for Dead. Here’s a closer look:





Yes, I am an awesome mom LOL and I was about to become more awesome when he saw the rest of the shirts in the box! This one is from another favorite of his, Halo Reach:





This one is from Call of Duty Black Ops:





I love the detail on it:





This one you will only understand if you know a little about World of Warcraft. Coy doesn’t play WoW, but he knows the story behind it since it is a gamer’s inside joke:





Finally, I got him this t-shirt from his favorite computer game, Minecraft:





He loved the shirts and all of his other gifts. After he opened presents and we had our cheesy dinner, we played Pin the Tail on the Donkey!





I wanted to show you guys that blurry picture because it was the only one I had from that party with my brother David in it. He’s the one in the Nationals shirt, but I’ll post a better picture of him once I start working on plans for the sibling trip. Actually, I’ve pretty much decided that will be a totally separate PTR. Anyway, the other man in the picture is my dad and you’ve seen my mom and True before LOL! Finally, here’s the traditional picture of Coy cutting his cake:





You can see Phineas and Ferb in the background, waiting for a slice! We ate all of that cheesecake and about a third of the other one that night! It was good! It really was a great birthday and Coy had a wonderful time!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

You ARE and awesome mom! and you had me at LOTR! Did you know that LOTR is my all-time-favorite-ever-movie (all three, although two towers is my least favorite). I bought myself the deluxe edition for my birthday quite a few years ago and I pop them in whenever I get a chance! If it's a rainy day, we watch it...if I get sick, I watch it...

Sorry, sorry, side tracked there! It can be that way for me, you should know that by now.

Is it just me and my lush friends or did everybody used to go to IHOP after a night at the club or a night out drinking?

We used to go to Denny's for coffee late at night when I was a teen, but I never went clubing b/c I was pregnant at 21 and hen had little kids and then never did get to enjoy that scene...can you see why I'm such a lush NOW???? Missed opportunities!

LOVE all the stuff you got for Coy! My boys like most of those games as well! He looks like he had such a great time and I'm glad that he didn't seem bothered by missing out with his dad on his actual birthday. Don't worry about being negative! I think you are a super positive mom and you do so much for your kids, a little vent here and there is totally justified!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

You are a wonderful mom! You can tell you love your kids so much and truly give them your all. Love it Erin!

Happy 12th Birthday Coy! My daughter Morghan turns 12 on 5/11. 12 is sooooo old, isn't it? *sniff sniff*

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Yay!!! Coy's birthday update!!! It sounds like you guys had such a great time!!! You really do spoil your kids on their birthdays, huh? And I thought I was bad!!! But hey, they only turn 12 once, right?? Don't get too upset over their father using an excuse to not take the kids. It seems the older Victoria got, the more that happened. It's his loss, not Coy's!!! Great job on the pics, by the way!!!

 

[-Hope-]

What a great birthday for Coy! You really went all out to make it special for him! The cheesy dinner sounds yummy. My philosophy is that pretty much anything tastes better if you put a little (or a lot of) cheese on it!

Jace and Coy both just turned 12 and like lots of the same things; gaming, Phineas and Ferb, graphics and design and of course getting one over on their little sister's!

Where did you find all of those gaming shirts? I'm sure Jace would LOVE them! And the Phineas and Ferb toys? Was all of that stuff at Target?

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

​

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Great deal! Especially the dining"!

Thanks, Jenn! I’m so happy about it!

You ARE and awesome mom! and you had me at LOTR! Did you know that LOTR is my all-time-favorite-ever-movie (all three, although two towers is my least favorite). I bought myself the deluxe edition for my birthday quite a few years ago and I pop them in whenever I get a chance! If it's a rainy day, we watch it...if I get sick, I watch it...

Sorry, sorry, side tracked there! It can be that way for me, you should know that by now.


LOTR is the best trilogy EVER! I also had to have the deluxe editions and I practically burned a hole through The Fellowship! Two Towers isn’t my favorite either and I always fast forward through the scenes with Treebeard The battle scenes are epic in Two Towers, though! Yeah, I can get side tracked talking about those movies too!


We used to go to Denny's for coffee late at night when I was a teen, but I never went clubing b/c I was pregnant at 21 and hen had little kids and then never did get to enjoy that scene...can you see why I'm such a lush NOW???? Missed opportunities!


It’s fun to act like a twenty-something again! Why do you think I hang out with my sisters so much?


LOVE all the stuff you got for Coy! My boys like most of those games as well! He looks like he had such a great time and I'm glad that he didn't seem bothered by missing out with his dad on his actual birthday. Don't worry about being negative! I think you are a super positive mom and you do so much for your kids, a little vent here and there is totally justified!

Yeah, Coy had a great time! Thanks for understanding my venting

You are a wonderful mom! You can tell you love your kids so much and truly give them your all. Love it Erin!

Happy 12th Birthday Coy! My daughter Morghan turns 12 on 5/11. 12 is sooooo old, isn't it? *sniff sniff*

Thank you, Kelli! 12 IS so old! When did this happen? I remember when he was a baby in my arms. Now he is about to graduate elementary school!

Yay!!! Coy's birthday update!!! It sounds like you guys had such a great time!!! You really do spoil your kids on their birthdays, huh? And I thought I was bad!!! But hey, they only turn 12 once, right??

Yeah, we all had a lot of fun! Yup, they only turn 12 once! I do really spoil them LOL


Don't get too upset over their father using an excuse to not take the kids. It seems the older Victoria got, the more that happened. It's his loss, not Coy's!!! Great job on the pics, by the way!!!

Thanks for saying that. You’re right...his loss. The three of us had a great time that day and weekend

What a great birthday for Coy! You really went all out to make it special for him! The cheesy dinner sounds yummy. My philosophy is that pretty much anything tastes better if you put a little (or a lot of) cheese on it!


Can’t go wrong with cheese!


Jace and Coy both just turned 12 and like lots of the same things; gaming, Phineas and Ferb, graphics and design and of course getting one over on their little sister's!


Boys will be boys, I guess


Where did you find all of those gaming shirts? I'm sure Jace would LOVE them! And the Phineas and Ferb toys? Was all of that stuff at Target?

The Phineas and Ferb toys were on an end cap in Target along with Agent P/Perry and Dr. Doofenschmirtz. All of the other toys were plushy, though, so I knew Coy wouldn’t want those. I’m hoping they get more Phineas and Ferb stuff in soon. The t-shirts were a real find! I found them on thinkgeek.com and the kicker was that they participate with My Points, so I earned points for shopping on there for Coy’s birthday! Score! They have all sorts of geeky stuff on there like games, toys and experiments – so I’m going to be shopping on there a lot more often